In a data center, multiple appliances are utilized to scale out and scale up compute power and storage capacities. Networking appliances, for example, network switches and network routers are used to connect servers to each other and also to multiple storage appliances. Large numbers of servers are used for computing, which therefore require a large number of network switches, for example, Ethernet switches, fibre channel switches, etc., to connect servers to each other and to storage appliances. Storage appliances such as disk storage arrays and tape libraries are used in a data center to provide a large storage space for user data and for data backup. Due to the servers, storage appliances, and network appliances, the challenges faced in data centers are, for example, large space requirements, high energy consumption by different appliances, high energy consumption to maintain the operational temperature of the appliances, high heat emission, numerous applications required to maintain different types of server appliances, storage appliances, and network appliances, a team of various skilled professionals required to maintain the data center, high capital, substantial operational expenses, etc.
The compute power, storage and networking of servers keep growing in data centers to improve and boost application performance of the server appliances. To facilitate high performance of application servers, data centers add superior server processors, fast networking technologies, and multiple redundant storage elements. However, the server processors, fast networking technologies, and storage elements are not optimally used due to architectural limitations of the data centers. For example, a conventional architecture of servers, network appliances, and data storage arrays depends on multiple software layers from a host operating system to input and output interface controllers. Such an architecture adds high latency to input/output (I/O) throughput.
Cloud and parallel data processing and storage have become paramount as the need for data storage, data processing, and intelligent storage has increased. Numerous techniques and solutions available in the field of cloud data processing and parallel data processing rely on efficient hardware and software solutions. Data centers have resorted to private, public and/or hybrid cloud solutions as incorporating computing power within or away from storage is not a choice anymore. Furthermore, the basic idea behind a cloud infrastructure is to grow with the use of computing and storage power. However, the dynamic growth of data processing and storage within the cloud infrastructure poses challenges to the current infrastructure. The cloud industry or data centers typically fine-tune their solutions and technologies associated with servers, network appliances, and storage to cater to a constant demand of exponential data growth for efficiency. Ensuring efficiency of data processing and growth in computing requires large investments in terms of capital, power, cooling techniques, etc. Therefore, an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider spends more time and money to obtain appropriate solutions for an offered infrastructure.
A conventional architecture of a server, a network appliance, or a data storage array utilizes a host bus adapter (HBA) containing a System on Chip (SoC) to handle input and output of data flow on a respective system board. The SoC is a set of hardware components, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a memory controller, a system bus controller, and a peripheral interconnect bus controller that enables the host bus adapter to run software that manages the data flow through the host bus adapter and target devices, for example, disk drives, network ports, etc. This SoC runs software for data communication to and from a target device, for example, a data storage device, or a data storage appliance, or a network server, or a network appliance. The combination of hardware and software for data access and communication reduces data throughput of the overall system. Furthermore, there are additional issues in conventional architecture based appliances that hinder the performance of the system, for example, underutilization of hardware appliances, low adaptability to dynamic growth, low performance, interoperability issues between appliances manufactured by different vendors, a high total cost of ownership that involves large space requirements, high energy consumption, requirements for skilled maintenance teams, etc.
In a conventional architecture of a server, network switch, network router and data storage array, connecting element controllers, for example, small computer system interfaces, advanced technology attachments, serial attached small computer system interfaces, serial advanced technology attachments, fibre channel controllers, Ethernet controllers, etc., are mounted on system boards of servers, network switches, network routers, and data storage arrays as host bus adapters or line cards. The host bus adapters contain specific hardware to manage connecting ports to target devices, for example, hard disk drives, network switches, network routers, and other servers. Each host bus adapter also contains a System on Chip (SoC). Typically, a data center houses hundreds and thousands of servers, network switches, network routers, and storage arrays that are built on the above mentioned conventional architecture. SoC hardware and software on the SoC introduces additional layers that cause additional latency to the data flow, increases the energy consumption, and increases heat emission. As the new era of data centers emerge, the work load on the servers, the network switches, the network routers, and the storage arrays suffers due to the above mentioned conventional architecture that utilizes multiple hardware and software layers. To improve the architecture to be future ready and to withstand and take more work load, there is a need for reducing the hardware and software layers, for incorporating multiple hardware components and associated software on one functional plane, that is, on a system board, and for developing a specialized software without hindering the software implementation of existing application servers.
Hence, there is a long felt but unresolved need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system that incorporates the functionalities of a network switch, a network router, a network interface card, a storage array, and a compute functionality of a server into a single physical server for expanding the functionality of the physical server and the connectivity of the physical server to other physical servers in a data center. Moreover, there is a need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system comprising interface components that are free of the System on Chip (SoC) to allow direct access to storage devices and a network and to reduce latency, energy consumption, and heat emission. Furthermore, there is a need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system that reduces hardware and software layers, incorporates multiple hardware components and associated software on a single system board, and comprises a specialized software that does not hinder the software implementation of existing application servers.